Darren Bent looked set to join Fulham on loan from Aston Villa after passing a medical on Thursday. The news came as a bitter disappointment to Crystal Palace, who had expected the striker to report for a medical with them. Bent had a late change of heart when it became clear that Fulham were able to put together a season-long loan deal along the lines that Palace had proposed.

Newcastle also showed interest but were hoping to wait until the end of the transfer window. They were prepared to bid as little as £2m and offer wages that would have left Villa with a significant shortfall to make up. That deal was never likely to happen. In the end Villa agreed to sanction a season-long loan, bringing a temporary end to a curious saga.

While Benteke thrived, Bent was stripped of the captaincy early in the season, started only eight Premier League matches and was overlooked to the point that he was unable to get on the bench ahead of Jordan Bowery, a 21-year-old striker signed from Chesterfield.

The situation became dire for Bent when he reported back for pre-season this summer and was told that he would not be allowed to train with the first-team squad. Lambert, the Villa manager, has never explained his reasons for jettisoning Bent, who has scored 102 Premier League goals in the past eight seasons at a rate of one every two games.

Jol was cagey about the situation, saying: "I don't know what's happening. Darren's probably doing his own thing. We're not sure about it.

"We don't speculate on players and can only give an answer when a deal is finalised. We'll see in the next day or two."

He added: "We need quality up front and we're trying to get someone in that position in the next week. We need some pace up front."